A Chat With Jenny Stanley, Managing Director at Appetite Creative

Appetite Creative, the digital experiences studio, connects brands to today’s audiences. Specialising in using innovative technology to deliver connected brand experiences which help advertisers to better understand audiences, optimise marketing, drive sales, and improve two-way customer communications.

The team of digital marketing specialists, with a passion for bringing innovative advertising to life, deliver bespoke campaigns and advertising solutions across all devices and screens.

Operating across the EMEA, Americas and MENA regions, Appetite Creative helps brands realise the potential of their most powerful marketing asset already found in the hands of their customers, by turning product packaging into a media channel.

The studio works with a variety of recognisable brands including Bacardi, Tetra Pak, Pepsi, Starbucks, Samsung, Vodafone and Coca-Cola.

 

What Does Appetite Creative Deliver For Clients?

 

We’re a digital experiences studio that’s number one in creative technology and connecting brands to today’s audiences. We help brands realise the potential of their most powerful marketing asset already found in the hands of their customers, by turning product packaging into a media channel.

We use innovative technology to deliver connected brand experiences which help advertisers to better understand audiences better through first party data, optimise marketing, drive sales, and improve two-way customer communications. From digitising direct mail to creating fun games accessed on mobile through packaging, we work with a variety of recognisable brands including Bacardi, Tetra Pak, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Samsung, Vodafone and CocaCola, Emmi, Don Simon, Merck and Royal Mail.

Our team of digital marketing specialists have a passion for bringing innovative advertising to life, delivering bespoke campaigns and advertising solutions across all devices and screens.

 

Why Did You Decide To Found Appetite Creative And What Was This Process Like?

 

When I started my business, my back was really against the wall. I was in another country (Spain), no family around, with a language I couldn’t speak well, a single mother to a toddler and a woman. The odds were stacked against me.

It was then that I realised I just had to keep going, and I found an inner strength that I hadn’t really experienced before. Even when all of the cards seem stacked against you, if you believe in yourself, you can make great things happen. We, as women, are much stronger than the media will lead us to believe.

From Its First Days Up Until Today, How Has Appetite Creative Changed And What Kind Of Pillars Carried And Still Carry The Company?

 

Appetite Creative was originally a website and advertising banner company and it has evolved far beyond my initial expectations. Back then, we could see advertising was the king of creativity in the digital space, especially with so much focus on programmatic at the time we decided to specialise and become a digital experiences studio using creative technology and connecting brands to today’s audiences and connecting the physical and digital worlds.

We want to help brands realise the potential of their most powerful marketing asset already found in the hands of their customers, by turning product packaging into a media channel.

We use innovative technology to deliver connected brand experiences which help advertisers to better understand audiences better through first party data, optimise marketing, drive sales, and improve two-way customer communications.

 

What Are The Benefits To Brands Of Connected Packaging?

 

Connected experiences accessed by mobile devices can deliver a raft of brilliant direct to customer experiences. From a simple questionnaire or a game, or a fully connected experience, brands can now transform packaging into a media channel or online publisher.

Used to communicate brand messages and educate customers, connected packaging can connect with and build deeper customer relationships, harnessing the rich data behind those messages. We typically see engagement times of around three minutes, not only improving brand loyalty but opening a two-way dialogue with consumers. This enables the brand to establish a stronger brand presence, gather valuable insights, as well as create enhanced user experiences that increase product engagement.

Connected packing is also a great way to share key product information, or inspiration in the form of product recipes and how to videos. It can be used to share supply chain information for imported food or food safety details for food facing safety concerns.

Marketing campaigns can also be carried out via connected packaging to inform new product development or help improve an advertising campaign. It can be used as a loyalty card and to collect and redeem sampling vouchers. It’s an incredibly versatile media channel – as well as being agile, responsive, and delivering customer data in real-time.

Tetra Pak claims that connected experiences deliver a 20% increase in sales. Connected packaging campaigns regularly generate a 14% scan rate/click-through rate (CTR), much higher than a digital advertising campaign usually around 0.01% CTR. It’s not only impactful, but also cost effective. The average cost per digital advertising click is £1.50, whereas a ‘click’ or scan on packaging is technically ‘free’, giving brands a compelling reason to use connected packaging.

 

How Do You Measure The Success Of A Campaign And What Metrics Are Most Important To Your Clients?

 

We measure the success of a campaign using several key metrics. These can include real-time interaction, such as buying habits, product preferences, average engagement time, age, location, scan rate, number of visitors, return visitors and social media shares, including GDPR-compliant personal data to enable the brand to optimise its marketing and better understand consumers.

The key metrics for success are engagement time, rise in sales and scan rate. Engagement time indicates how long users interact with the content, providing insights into the effectiveness of the campaign. On average we see between two and three minutes.

Scan rate shows how many people are engaging with the connected packaging. The rescan rate shows how many times people repeat the experience. On a recent campaign for Gulf Union, we saw on average x7 re-scan rate which is really great.

It looked to help consumers see Gulf Union’s products as a vital part of their back-to-school preparations. Users could play two juice themed games designed to entertain and educate and the experience also offered shareable selfies where users can adorn themselves with a fruity tiara or turn themselves into a mango. The games had a leaderboard ranking players to foster friendly competition.

The big one is the increase in sales which demonstrates the campaign’s impact on revenue. Working with Woodlands Dairy for example, on a sustainability campaign to educate consumers, the connected experience delivered a 30% increase in sales.

By scanning QR codes on Tetra Pak cartons, consumers accessed an interactive experience featuring a quiz and sustainability booklet, with a chance to win shopping vouchers. The campaign successfully engaged the target audience, achieved rapid growth, increased participation, and demonstrated the brand’s commitment to sustainability. It generated a bounce rate of 18% and an average user engagement time of 2 minutes and 14 seconds as well as tapping into increased social media use.

These metrics are crucial for our clients as they provide a clear picture of the campaign’s performance and ROI.

We’re incredibly proud to share that 90% of the clients that have worked with us rebook the connected packaging activity and often utilise the insights from the original campaign to tailor marketing and packaging, in addition to adapting the connected experience.

 

Can You Explain How Your Use Of Augmented Reality (AR) And Artificial Intelligence (AI) Enhances The Customer Experience And Benefits Your Clients?

 

Augmented reality (AR) enhances the customer experience by providing interactive and engaging content that can be accessed through packaging. For example, users can scan a QR code on a product to unlock AR experiences such as games, product demonstrations, or virtual try-ons. This not only captures the user’s attention but also encourages them to spend more time interacting with the brand.

Artificial intelligence (AI) allows us to adapt content in real-time based on various factors such as weather, time of year, or customer interests. AI can quickly process large amounts of data to create personalised experiences for each user, improving relevance and engagement. These technologies benefit our clients by increasing customer interaction, providing valuable insights, and driving sales.

Jenny Stanley is Managing Director at Appetite Creative, for more information visit: appetitecreative.com